Welcome to our March e-newsletter, designed to keep you regularly informed of developments surrounding the Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Act 2020.

We would appreciate your feedback on the e-newsletter and if there is anything you would like us to include or to clarify then please let us know by emailing EndPhysicalPunishment@gov.wales

You can follow the Deputy Minister for Social Services on Twitter through @WG_Communities

In Summary

The Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Act 2020 received Royal Assent on 20 March 2020 and will come into force this month, on Monday 21 March.

The purpose of the legislation is to help protect children’s rights; it builds on the Welsh Government’s commitment to children’s rights under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Under the law, parents and other adults acting in a parental capacity will no longer be allowed to physically punish children in Wales. The Minister responsible for the legislation is Julie Morgan MS, Deputy Minister for Social Services, Welsh Government.

Resources

Our website sets out all you need to know about ending physical punishment in Wales. We have useful resources for the public and partners, including a campaign leaflet, leaflet for parents, Frequently Asked Questions, endorsement videos, explainer video, poster, Timelines and a stakeholder briefing note.

New factsheets are available for a range of workforces including: education, health, childcare and playwork, social services, the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, the legal sector and for those who work with children, outside of formal education and childcare.

Three new expert films are also available. Listen to the thoughts of a Headteacher, community paediatrician and educational and child psychologist on the use of physical punishment in the home here.  

The ‘All Wales Practice Guide: Safeguarding children in relation to the Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Act 2020’ has now been published. This practice guide provides additional information about safeguarding responses in relation to the Act. It is aimed at those working in safeguarding and should be used in conjunction with the Wales Safeguarding Procedures.

Strategic Implementation Group

The Strategic Implementation Group oversees and makes recommendations to ensure the practical and effective implementation of the legislation. 

More detailed work is being managed by three task and finish groups:

• Parenting Expert Action Group;
• Data Collection and Monitoring; and
• Training, Operations, Guidance and Diversion.

There is also an Expert Stakeholder Group to oversee the communications work. 

Implementation Meeting Summaries

Summaries of the meetings of the Strategic Implementation Group and the Task and Finish Groups are available on the Welsh Government website. These summaries are published on the website once they have been cleared by group members.

The Parenting Expert Action Group met on 3 February. They were provided with an update on out of court parenting support and the All Wales Practice Guide, along with a wider implementation progress update. The Group also signed off as complete one of its key tasks of the expansion of the Parenting. Give it time age ranges of children to 0 – 18 years of age.

Raising awareness with children and young people

Children in Wales are developing our children and young people’s strategy with regards to raising awareness of the law change. The guiding principle will be that awareness raising amongst children and young people should be embedded in a wider context of children’s rights, and within ongoing activity and programmes.

Four advisory groups are being established which will help guide this work. There will be three groups of children and young people of different ages, and with different needs and the fourth group will consist of a range of professionals.

If you are a professional working in the below sectors and would like to get involved in the advisory groups please contact Elaine Speyer elaine.speyer@childreninwales.org.uk

• early years provision
• primary and secondary education
• specialist provision for children and young people with additional needs
• home educated children
• children educated other than at school
• ensuring that there is diversity in the representation of the group, we are also keen to hear from those who have expertise in the third sector, or from community organisations, including those supporting and working with children who are refugees and asylum seekers, Gypsy, Roma, and Travellers, or from religious groups.

Parenting. Give it time

Parenting. Give it time complements the legislation by promoting positive parenting techniques, with advice from parenting practitioners, professionals and experts on managing behaviour positively, without resorting to physical punishment.

We have resources and links to further advice to support managing children’s behaviour for all age ranges:

Children’s Behaviour – 0 to 4 years

Children’s Behaviour – 4 to 7 years

Children’s Behaviour – 8 to 12 years

Teenagers’ Behaviour – 13+ years

We hope that you’ve seen our TV, radio and digital advertising campaign.  We have been co-ordinating our timings to support the Ending Physical Punishment messaging, the frequency of these adverts has increased to further raise awareness that the law is coming into force on 21 March and to guide parents to available support. 

Why not visit our updated website or follow Parenting. Give it time on Facebook and parenting.wales on Instagram for our latest resources, support and guidance.  Please let us know if there is anything you would like us to consider providing advice on in our posts.

Communication and Engagement

Less than a month to go!

It’s been a busy time with less than a month to go before the law changes! If you’ve been to the cinema recently, you may have seen our Sound of Change advert on the big screen. Our door-drop has been landing on doormats across Wales and look out for us again at the Wales V France and Italy Six Nations games in March.

This is our biggest burst of advertising in the lead up to 21 March and it includes:

• TV advertising – Sound of Change
• Radio advertising
• Out of home advertising, including billboards and advertising on buses
• Digital advertising
• Press advertising
• Door-drop
• Cinema advertising
• Advertising in hospitals

News

Following our second Discipline takes Discipline press release, Sian Regan from the NSPCC was interviewed for Post Prynhawn on BBC Radio Cymru. The release focused on how physical punishment has no role in raising children and the damaging and disruptive impact physical punishment can have on children.

The change in law has been receiving media interest, which is great for raising awareness. Here are some examples:

https://www.thenational.wales/news/19941756.solicitor-jonathan-williams-explains-wales-smacking-ban/

https://www.tenby-today.co.uk/news/youve-got-mail-510994

https://www.westerntelegraph.co.uk/news/19935459.dyfed-powys-police-supporting-physical-punishment-law-change/

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/17721275/parents-smack-kids-witness-call-police/

https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1568685/Smacking-children-wales-criminal-offence

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/richard-madeley-gmb-smacking-children-b2021335.html

https://www.mailplus.co.uk/edition/showbiz/celebrity-news/157416/richard-madeley-says-he-feels-ashamed-for-smacking-his-children

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/showbiz-tv/itv-good-morning-britain-under-23189136

https://www.herald.wales/mid-wales/ceredigion-mid-wales/it-stops-here-ending-the-physical-punishment-of-children-in-ceredigion/

https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/19913881.smacking-ban-wales-need-know/

Working as a team

Our engagement work continues, to ensure organisations across Wales have the support and resources they need to share with their networks. 

We continue to provide content for stakeholders who have requested stories for newsletters and member magazines. You can read a published article about ‘What ending physical punishment of children in Wales means for social work’ in Community Care.  Soldier Magazine also highlighted the change in law.  Do please get in touch if you have any content requests.

Updated Partner Pack

Our latest partner pack has been circulated.  Many thanks to the organisations who have utilised this pack and supported us in raising awareness about the change in law.  Please let us know if you would like to receive a copy by emailing Rebecca@cambrensis.uk.com